Loved
by Accidental-Acid-Burns
Summary: Sofia and Cedric are transported to the future, where they meet an adult Vivian, and her huge dragon Crackle in a very dark future indeed. Warnings for death, depression, blood and Roland stabbing people. Implied future Sofia/Vivian.


Of course, it was Cedric's fault, as most things that happen to Sofia often are. She watched from a distance while Cedric added small things to the pot, and then, just as he added the last ingredient, the room started to swirl. Cedric cursered.

Of course, Sofia was a nice person, she was always a nice person. She only needed things from Cedric every so often,and he was always so willing to help her, she didn't even mind that it often blew up in his, or her face. But today, she just wanted to come up and see him. She hadn't seen him in ages, and Vivian had canceled their picnic due to a bad cold. Cedric had begrudgingly let her stay in his lair, while he mixed potions, as long as she would do some cleaning for him. So clean she did. She swept the floors, and she cleaned bottles. Cedric seemed content with that, and went about his work.

Until, of course, until the room began to swirl.

When everything came to a halt, Cedric passed out, and collided with the ground. Sofia, confused and afraid, let out a scream for help. She screamed three times, before she heard the patter of a pair of feet. Around a bush, a woman came running. She has a rather broad forehead, and thick black hair pulled back from her face in a pony tail. She wore a mans chest armour, and thick leather leggings. She looked, shocked at Sofia, but pushed it away, and shouted at them, "Come on!"Over the roar of the nearby castle. Sofia is shocked by the noise, and just points at Cedric. The woman picks him up, and slings him over her shoulder like he weighs nothing. "Let's go.' She insists, and she runs through the trees, and stops at a dragon. The dragon says to the woman

'Aren't they..?" But the woman clearly does not speak dragon. The woman climbs to a saddle. "What about us?" Sofia pleads, looking around, the woman rolls her eyes, and pulls her up. She sits Sofia in the saddle, and then puts Cedric on her lap. She puts a belt over them, and sofia cries out "What about you?" The woman laughs, and shifts on the dragons head. She grabs hold of it's reins, and they take off.

It's different to flying in a carriage, or on a horse. She felt free. She takes in the actual dragon. It's scale under her hands, and it's coloured dark. She scratches lightly at it, and it comes off in her hands. Under it is a familiar shade of blue. She doesn't really think much into it, until they're above the clouds. She's disappointed to see she can't actually touch them. She wishes that she could touch the clouds. They were not real, after all. They soon slow down, and the woman half turns to Sofia.

"You're Sofia, right? I'd know that face anywhere." It's true, the woman thinks to herself, she would know Sofia anywhere. Sofia is a little shocked, but nods,

"Yeah...Who're you?" She asks frowning, "And how did you get a dragon?" She demanded. The woman laughs softly. Sofia does not reconize her.  
"My name is Vivian." She smiled. Sofia's eyes nearly pop out of her head.  
"Really?" She asks. It all makes sense now. The broad forehead, the the hair, the dragon.

"Yes, really." Vivian says softly. Sofia looks down at the dragon

"And...This is...Crackle?" Vivian nodded,

"Yes." She said, patting her scaly back. Cracke says nothing. Vivian turns back to the front, and brings them down. As they go down the clouds rush by, and Sofia is still dispaointed that she cannot touch them.

They come down to the ruins of Vivian's family's castle. Crackle sighs sadly. They slowly walk into the castle, Cedric once again is thrown over Vivian's shoulder as they walk in. Vivian doesn't seem to care if he's comfortable or not, she just wants to get inside. The castle is badly damaged, as they walk through, and eventually they come to a fully built room. Vivian pulls back a makeshift wall, and sits down on a worn piano seat. Cedric is put on the floor in front of her. Sofia drags him to the bed and puts him on it, with a lot of effort. She's only seven. Seven is to young to be draging around fully grown men. Vivian doesn't move, she puts her face in her hands and stays quiet. Crackle presses her huge face against Vivian's side. Vivian is quite for a long time, before she stands, and takes of the chest plate, and then the bandages underneath holding her breasts to her chest so they didn't get in her way. Sofia blushes and looks away as Vivian pulls a different shirt on. Vivian doesn't appear to notice. Or care, for that matter.

Vivian returns to her chair for another ten or so minutes. Sofia is quietly watching from her position next to Cedric. "It all makes sense now." Vivian says softly, looking up. "Oh God." Sofia frowns at her, and then slowly walks over.

"What does?" She asks, taking a seat next to her on the piano chair, "What happened?" She asks, placing both her elbows on her knees, "What makes sense?" Vivian shook her head sadly. "Oh dear." She whispered. Sofia put her her hand on Vivian arm.  
"Please Vivian?" she asks. Vivian looks down at the girl, her eyes watery.

"Oh Sofia." She whispered, and pulled her into a hug. Sofia hugged her back, but didn't really understand why. "I love you so much." She whispered. Sofia beamed,

"I know, you're my best friend." Vivian pulled back to smile at her,

"I know." She whispered, and eventually let Sofia go. Crackle bumped the woman again, clearly expecting something. Vivian stood, "Time for food, Crackle's right." She said, Sofia nodded, and followed Vivian outside, and then to a cellar, and then down.

"What about Mr Ceedric?" She asked, Vivian just rolled her eyes,

"Crackle'll look after him." She said, collecting bread, (Abiet dry) preserves, and cheese. She returned with Sofia to the upstairs room, and placed everything on a small table. Using a knife from her belt, she cut everything up for herself, Sofia, and Cedric. She then took Crackle out to feed her.

Sofia thought it was Vivian trying to protect her from the sight of death, but she didn't have to, not really. Sofia had seen death around her for her whole life. She didn't need protection, not anymore. Cedric woke up some time while Vivian was feeding her dragon, and Sofia quietly offered him bread and cheese, which he turned down, asking her what happened. Sofia realized she didn't know, in fact, she didn't even know if that woman was Vivian. Cedric is quiet for a long time, before he says that they really have travelled in time. When Vivian comes back, Cedric demands Answers. Vivian sighed long and hard, and then sits back on the piano seat. Sofia rushes over to sit in her lap. Vivian placed her nose in Sofia's hair, and thought for a long time. "Sit,Cedric." She said softly, "It's a long story." Sofia shifted so she could be comfortable.

"You two vanished off the face of the world a little over eleven years ago. ' Sofia frowned,

"But…We just got here!" She exclaimed, Cedric spoke up,  
"To us, it was only about two minutes, but to everyone else, it's been eleven years…" Vivian nodded sadly,

"Yes." She whispered to them. "A very long time…" She smiled softly, placing her cheek on Sofia's head for a few moments before she continued. "After you vanished, there was a bit of a…Well, explosion of searches, everywhere and anywhere was searched, I was called out to help;" she paused, "I even walks around towns of people I don't know and asked for you." She smiled. Sofia nodded slightly, and placed her small hands on Vivian's arms. Crackle saw the movement, and blew hot air onto them. How dare Sofia comfort Vivian, it was her fault that Vivian was hurting. Vivian kept going, "And then, several things all happened at once. The grief of losing you sent your mother into sadness, but as she emerged from it, the kingdom was crumbling. Your father had no time for kingly duties, not between looking after your mother and looking for you." She stopped again, and Sofia looked up at the sad woman. "Another kingdom, I'm still fuzzy as to which, attacked, and killed your brother, and mother. Your father sent your sister to stay with his sister, your aunt." She retold, "My family, father, mother, and myself, offered to hide King Roland for as long as he needed." She said softly, Cedric chuckled, so Roland had been dethroned, good. Vivian glared at him, Sofia could feel the anger coursing though her friends body. But Vivian went on,

"So he stayed with us for a little over a year, stricken with grief, and we catered to him, and my father even waged a war to take back his kingdom." Sofia settled a little more comfortabley in Vivian's lap. "And after he got his kingdom back, he…Started ruthlessy taking over others, killing anyone who stood in his way. In his mind…" Vivian paused. He pressed her face into Sofia's hair, as she remembered the blood stains and the screams.

She remembered the sakes, thinking it was an earthquake, she and crackle had hidden under the bed. She'd been afraid. So afraid. She'd hugged Crackle tightly, but it didn't stop. They then both ran out to see if they could leave, or at least find out what was happening. That was when she saw her mother lying on the floor, in a puddle of blood. She'd run over, and dropped next to her, not caring about the blood on the skirt of her dress, and rolled her mother over. "Mom!" She'd screamed, and shook her, and then given up, and lay herself over her mother's chest. "Mom…" She sobbed. Crackle pressed Vivian with her nose. "Come on!" She'd said, speaking in dragon, Vivian didn't understand. Vivian kept begging her mother to wake up, crying hard. "Mom." She sobbed. Crackle pressed into her hand harder. Vivian gave her mother one last look, and ran for It, following after Crackle.

She came back two days later, to see everything was destroyed and all the bodies taken. She vowed revenge, to stop Roland killing people. She sat amongst the wreckage of their castle crying into Crackle's scales.

Sofia listened to the story quietly, before she asked Vivian 'What do you do now?" Vivian stroked her fingers though Sofia's hair.

"I try and slow him down. That's what I was doing today, Crackle" At the mention of her name, the dragon once again pressed her face against Vivian, "Were were burning his draw bridge." She smiled. Sofia nodded,

"I see." She yawned, and sighed softly. Vivian licked her bottom lip.  
"Let's sleep, for tonight." She said, picking up a piece of bread, and placing some cheese on it, "And tomorrow, we will find a way to send you guys home.' She mumbled. Sofia nodded, and climbed up onto Vivian's bed. Vivian made sure that Cedric was also In bed, before she prepared to sit watch for the night.

The next day it was wet, it had rained over night, so Crackle's pain had washed off,and everyone was miserable. They all climbed onto Crackle, and they took off, soaring above the clouds, above the rain, and coming down at the castle. "I need to go to my workshop." Cedric said, it's the only way I can even try and make a spell this complex"  
Vivian obliged, and drew her knife. They walked in through the ruined drawbridge, and then Vivian let out a shout. Sofia could see why. There was a knife, or rather, a sword, sticking out of her middle.

"Ahh, Vivian…" A voice, so farmilliar…." Sofia thinks. She looked up.

"Dad!" She exclaimed, and Roland turned to face her,

"You're dead, Sofia. He killed you, you're just images in my head!" He laughed, and pulled the sword out of Vivian, who fell onto the floor, bleeding. Cedric grabbed her, and lifted her over his shoulder, and they ran, while the king with the sword chased him. Vivian groaned, and Sofia was praying in her mind that she'd be okay. They made it to Cedric's workshop, just in time for Sofia to slam and lock the door. Roland stabbed at it with his sword. Cedric cast a spell to renforce it. He laid Vivian on the ground, and looked at the stab wound. She wasn't wearing her armour, just a green top. Sofia put her head on Vivian's chest. Vivian smiled at her.

"I loved you." She whispered to Sofia. Sofia nodded and smiled at her.  
"I know, we're best friends." Vivian didn't seem to notice.  
"When I was ten, I planned out our wedding, I knew…I knew it wouldn't happen…" She smiled. "You…You were the first person who ever tried, for me, Sofia." She said, her had rolling back a little, as she kept talking, "I loved you." Sofia nodded,  
"And I loved you. Maybe..A bit different, but, I loved you." Vivian just nodded,  
"I'm so grateful to have known you, Sofia." She said, "Thank you, so much…" She said.

Sofia started to cry. "Vivian, please, don't go, we…We don't know what to do, Vivian, please!" She said, Vivian was on her way out already.  
"Oh Sofia, you never really knew how much you meant to people, I used to think to myself, that I'd love you more than any silly boy, but now I'm leaving you…" She said, as the blood flow Cedric was trying to stop slowed way down.

"I loved you, Sofia." Vivian repeated, and let her eyes shut. Sofia let out a gutted screaming sob. She threw herself onto Vivian, not caring that she was getting blood on her dress.

Cedric looked up at her.

"She's gone, Sofia." He whispered.  
"Bring her back! Bring her back, Cedric we need her!" She screamed, and kept screaming. Cedric let out a long breath.  
"We can't just stop Sofia. Vivian doesn't have to die like this." He murmured, pulling her into his arms. "We'll find the spell, and we'll go home." She nodded, and looked around the wet, broken sorcerers workshop.  
"What are we looking for?" she asked. Cedric sighed,  
"I don't really know…" He said. They went into different parts, looking, and searching, and ignoring Vivian's greying corpse, and Roland's soft crying outside. Cedric cried out some five hours later, holding up a piece of paper Sofia walked over, and he recited it. The room swirled, and spun, and they were back in Cedric's workshop, in their time.

Sofia didn't even say anything to Cedric, she just ran to the main room, where she was wrapped tightly in Miranda's arm. She pulled away from her mother, and kept running. She ran until she found a carriage, and then took it to Vivian's. Vivian was in her bedroom, making 'lost' posters with Sofia's portrait on them. She pulled Vivian into a hug without saying a word. Vivian let out a matching sob to Sofia's own.


End file.
